Nursery rhymes and play songs to enjoy with your baby. Gentle children's songs.
We’d like to introduce some nursery songs to enjoy with your baby.
These days, many babies are exposed to music from the time they’re in the womb through prenatal education.
Some families sing nursery rhymes as lullabies to help put their babies to sleep.
In this article, we’ve gathered gentle nursery songs and lullabies you’ll want to listen to with your baby, along with playful songs great for childcare and popular anime tunes.
They’re all fun songs that even babies who don’t understand words yet can enjoy.
Please try listening together as a parent and child.
Also perfect for baby massage!
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Nursery rhymes and play songs to enjoy with your baby. Gentle children's songs (1–10)
Mr. ElephantSakushi: Mado Michio / Sakkyoku: Dan Ikuma
The children’s song “Zō-san” lets you feel the warm bond between a baby elephant and its mother.
The lyrics were written by Michio Mado, who also created famous children’s songs like “Yagi-san Yūbin” and “Ichinensei ni Nattara.” In this song, a baby elephant is teased by others for its long trunk, but it proudly embraces it, realizing it’s the same as its beloved mother’s.
The gentle duple-time melody would make a lovely lullaby.
Give it a listen with the wish that parents and children can stay as close as the elephant mother and child.
Even with just one, it’s a carrot.nagira kenichi
A counting song that makes it easy to get a feel for numbers, “Ippon demo Ninjin.” Sung by Kenichi Nagira, this track was included on the B-side of the hugely popular children’s song “Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun” and released in 1975.
Its lyrics uniquely pair numbers with foods or objects whose names resemble those numbers—sometimes a bit forcefully—which lets listeners experience the quirky connections between numbers and words.
The distinctive melodic phrasing also tends to stick in your ear.
Hopefully, this song will help children gradually become more comfortable with numbers!
Tanuki of Fist Mountain
As a hand-play song, the nursery rhyme “Genkotsuyama no Tanukisan” is something children can enjoy while playing.
It depicts a baby raccoon living on a mountain called Genkotsuyama, nursing from its mother and then falling asleep in her arms.
In the hand-play, matching the word “genkotsu” (fist) in “Genkotsuyama,” you start the song by alternately tapping your two fists up and down.
After that, you move your hands according to the lyrics.
At the end of the song there’s also a rock-paper-scissors part, so if your child has learned how to play, be sure to try that together too!
Nursery rhymes and play songs to enjoy with your baby: Gentle children's songs (11–20)
Snip-Snip Dance
A simple dance you can do using the “scissors” from rock-paper-scissors—the Choki Choki Dance! If your baby can already make the scissors hand, try dancing together with Mom or Dad.
If your baby can’t make the scissors yet, Mom or Dad can dance and show it to them.
First, make the scissors with one hand at a time and dance in turn.
At the end, make scissors with both hands and dance in a double peace pose.
It’s not a difficult dance, so get into the rhythm and have fun giving it a try!
Anpanman’s Marchdoriimingu
Anime “Soreike! Anpanman” is something almost all babies inevitably encounter.
Its opening theme, “Anpanman no March,” has an energetic melody that lifts your spirits.
The lyrics resonate with adults as well, making it a beloved song across generations.
The lyrics were written by Takashi Yanase, the original creator of “Soreike! Anpanman,” and the music was composed by Takashi Miki, who has worked on many Japanese songs.
The melody is easy for even very young babies to move along to, and many babies are delighted just by hearing it.
As you listen together, you might find yourself wishing for your child to grow into a kind person like Anpanman, the hero of justice.
My Neighbor TotoroInoue Azumi
When it comes to Ghibli films that are approachable even for very small babies, My Neighbor Totoro is probably the top choice! The song with the same title as the anime, sung as the ending theme, features Azumi Inoue’s gentle voice and is a delight to listen to.
In the part where the character names are repeated over and over, a baby who’s just starting to talk might even try to imitate and sing along! The exciting, heart-thumping lyrics that bring to mind various scenes from the anime will give your little one wonderful dreams.
What color do you like?Sakushi Sakkyoku: Sakata Osamu
Things with lots of colors really capture a baby’s interest, don’t they? From there, they gradually become interested in drawing too, which can inspire them to create all kinds of pictures.
A great way to introduce different colors to babies is this children’s song called “Which Color Do You Like?” As the title suggests, it asks “Which color do you like?” and gives various answers with different favorite colors.
The song paints a heartwarming scene where, because it’s their favorite color, that crayon gets used up before any of the others.
It’s exciting to imagine which color your baby will be most drawn to—and which one they’ll use up first!